Encinitas: Our History and People

site by Rajarsi and some of his other close
disciples, where he was surprised with the
Encinitas Hermitage. He recognized the
building from visions he had since youth, and a
prophecy made by his guru, Swami Sri
Yukteswar, that he would someday have “a
retreat by the ocean.”
Yogananda dedicated the SRF Hermitage and
Ashram Center in 1937. Soon after, he
established the Golden Lotus Temple on the
site, where he conducted services until 1942,
when the temple toppled due to soil erosion. A
new temple was built in the late 1970s and is
located at 939 Second Street. The three large
lotus towers along South Coast Highway 101
were designed and dedicated by Yogananda
in 1948.
Yogananda frequently invited students to
attend informal satsangas and classes on his
teachings at the Hermitage. He also received
many visitors, including prominent figures in
science, business, and the arts, such as
conductor Leopold Stokowski, actress Greta
Garbo, opera star Amelita Galli-Curci, scholar
and author Dr. W. Y. Evans-Wentz, and scientist
Dr. N.N. Das.
Today, the SRF Hermitage and Ashram Center
consists of monastic communities for SRF monks
and nuns, retreat accommodations for SRF
members and friends, and cliffside meditation
gardens open to the public. The Hermitage,
where Yogananda lived and worked for many
years and where he wrote his spiritual classic
Autobiography of a Yogi, has been preserved and is
open from 2-4 p.m. on Sundays.
The SRF Hermitage, Retreat and Ashram
Center is located at 215 K Street. SRF Books and
Gifts is located at 1150 South Coast Hwy 101,
and offers SRF publications as well as distinctive
arts and crafts from India. For more
information, please call 760 753-2888 or visit
http://encinitastemple.org/.
G
Top: A view of the SRF Retreat,
Hermitage, and Ashram Center in
Encinitas, overlooking “Swami’s
Beach,” nicknamed after
Paramahansa Yogananda, originally
known as Swami Yogananda.
Bottom: Thousands of visitors come
each year from around the globe to
retreat, reflect and meditate at the
meditation gardens located at the 17-
acre SRF Hermitage and Ashram
Center. It is at the Hermitage where
Paramahansa Yogananda wrote most
of his Autobiography of a Yogi.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF SELF-REALIZATION
FELLOWSHIP, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.
S h a r i n g t h e H e r i t a g e F 1 2 5